Foreigner to Play Reunion Show With All Surviving Original Members

All of the surviving original members of Foreigner will reunite for one night in August, they confirmed in a press release. Band leader Mick Jones said Lou Gramm, Dennis Elliott, Al Greenwood, Ian McDonald and Rick Wills will all take part in a show that also features current members of the lineup.

The only original member who will not be onstage at the Buffalo Chip Rally in Sturgis, S.D., on Aug. 4 will be bassist Ed Gagliardi, who died in 2014. The show is billed as Foreigner's “first-ever ticketed reunion concert” because previous events that included returning members were surprise guest appearances with little publicity.

“It’s been incredible to have Lou, Dennis, Al, Ian and Rick join us for some surprise appearances throughout the past few years," Jones said in the statement. "It always brings back special memories. But now, for the first time, we are letting our fans know we’ll be making history together at the Buffalo Chip on Aug. 4 with a Foreigner reunion concert, and we hope they’ll come on down to Sturgis and join us!"

In related news, Foreigner fans were left disappointed after Gramm failed to appear alongside the band at a concert in Syracuse on Tuesday. Promoters Live Nation had previously announced he’d take part, and the official reunion show announcement was supposed to be made that night.

“I am devastated that a medical issue prevented me from appearing yesterday in Syracuse,” Gramm wrote on Facebook. “This weekend is the 40th anniversary of the release of Double Visionand we had planned to celebrate that with my cameo appearance and the announcement of a very special reunion date at the Buffalo Chip in Sturgis.”